ARUSHA

Once quoted as being 'a gem among park's this is the closest to Arusha. There are three distinct zones that contribute to the park's overall allure- Ngurdoto Crater, Mount Meru and the Momella Lakes. Formed some 25 million years ago, Ngurdoto Crater is today a steep sided pudding dish surrounded by forest.

The floor is covered by lush swamps and riverine forest and is home to rhino, elephant , buffalo, baboon, warthog, olive baboon and the black and white colobus monkey. Mosses, ferns, lichen and orchids thrive here, giving way to mahogany, olive trees and wild date palms on the drier walls. Mount Meru (4,565m) is the fifth highest mountain in Africa- much more than the achievement, the climb is rewarding for the multitude of beautiful and interesting plants and animals found along its forested slopes.

The Momella Lakes were formed as a result of the volcanic activity that gave birth to Mount Meru. Surrounded by mixed moor and grasslands, this group of seven alkaline lakes are fed by under-ground streams and are quite shallow. These beautiful lakes are the haunt of over 380 species of birds.